Out of Reach
by Nuwanda
Summary: Pledging their lives to the priestess, the lived and died only for her. Would the Suzaku Seven not return to her once again? What happens with the unresolved issues of the past? Do they return to be closed in the future? Slash.
1. Default Chapter

**A/N:**  My first Fushigi Yuigi fic...*crosses her fingers*...hope it goes well!  I simply couldn't stand leaving the series alone any longer....Nuriko was crying out to me again.  I love him so much!  *sobs again*  I bawled my eyes out when he died...and when he came back at the end....I cried so much during the second series...watashi no kami-sama.  Anyway, this is a sort of alternate reality fic, but not really. 

**SUMMARY:**  Pledging their lives to the priestess, the lived and died only for her.  Would the Suzaku Seven not return to live and die with her once again?  What happens with the unresolved issues of the past?  Do they return to be closed in the future?  Do original feelings stir again?

**PAIRING:**  Who knows?  We'll just see how it all goes, though I know that Chichiri will eventually be set up w/ my friend Erika…b/c she's his other half.

**DEDICATIONS:**

TIFF:  My college bud, the one who loaned me Fushigi Yugi and Escaflowne and Sailor Moon, etc!  The Anime Queen Supreme and my fellow Legolas obsessee.  I love ya, Tiff!

Erika:  Known to all you fellow ff.net peeps as "Tiernoch," but known to me as Erika.  My fellow Fushigi Yugi obsessee and co-owner of the Fushigi Yugi harem!  WAHOO!  

Marcy:  Also obsessed with Fushigi Yugi...my spoiler bud.  My only friend who loves SPOILERS!  WA NA NA!  

Lucawanox:  If I didn't put you in here, you'd kill me. ; )  You know I love you!

**WARNING:**  THIS TAKES PLACE AFTER SERIES TWO OF FUSHIGI YUGI, IGNORING THE OTHER TWO SERIES AFTER IT…BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT AS GOOD!  Lol.

**PS:**  The explanation of the title will come in later…it's a song, but it doesn't make sense yet, so the title may change in a while…who knows?

~*~

            "I still can't believe it's really you."

            Tamahome smiled at the petite girl.  "I'm here, aren't I?  I promised I'd find you, and I did."

            Miaka smiled, tears streaming down her cheeks.  "Tamahome."  Laughing, she threw her arms around him and hugged him close.  "Never let me go again!"

            "I won't...I promise."

            Clutching Tamahome close to her, Miaka peered over his shoulder with mist-filled eyes, thinking of how strangely things work out.  "Wait..."

            "Hmm?"

            Miaka pushed slightly away from Tamahome.  "If you came back all this way...I know you said you were going to find me...but if you're here in a new life...don't you think the others might be here too?"

            "Reincarnation, you mean?"  Tamahome scratched his head.  "It's possible...even extremely likely.  Each celestial warrior lives only for the priestess...I never really thought about what would happen after our lives ended.  It seems only likely that they'll come back and find you again and again."  He smiled.  "We may find them yet.  Who knows?"

            The two released the grip they held on each other and walked off, hand in hand.  Miaka sighed.  "I wonder where the others are right now."

~*~

            //I want to hold her one last time...Don't cry, Miaka...I'll always be here to protect you...I want to hold her...one...last...time...MIAKA!//

            Nuriko shot out of bed, gasping for breath.  He turned and looked, wide-eyed, at the digital clock on the nightstand next to his bed.  5:00. He turned away again, running a hand through his already tousled hair, once again damp with perspiration.  //That dream again..._again_.//  Deep violet eyes shone in the moonlight as the boy leaned back, stretching before flopping against the pillows.  "What does it mean?"

            "Nuriko?"  The quiet voice crept in through the small crack of an opening in the doorway.  Nuriko sat up abruptly, straining his eyes.

            "Kourin?" The door opened wider and his younger sister scampered in, giggling, before shutting the door behind her.  She ran quietly across the room and leaped up onto his bed, snuggling close to her brother.

            "I heard you before...you sounded upset.  Were you having a nightmare?"  Violet eyes, exact matches of his own, stared up at him with a look of utmost concern.  He smiled inwardly.

            "No...yes...no.  I was having that dream again..."

            "Which one?"  Kourin's voice, always so understanding and gentle.  //It's always so easy to talk to her...//

            "About my life...my past life...I know it sounds crazy, Kourin, but it's all so _vivid_...I can't believe that it's not true."  Nuriko ran a hand through his sister's hair, lost in his memories.  "All those people...the girl, Miaka...those two hotheaded boys, Tamahome and Tasuki...the little boy, Chiriko, and the older man, Mitsukake.  Chichiri, who always wears a mask to hide his scar...and" he stopped, feeling a flush creep up his face.

            "There was another one, wasn't there?" Kourin prodded.

            "Yes..."  Nuriko tousled his hair again, trying to force back the blush that had taken over his face.  //Why always this one?//  He asked himself again.  //Why does this last one always stir such feelings in me?//  "The last one...the young emperor...Hotohori."

            "Ah, yes, Hotohori...I believe he was particularly handsome, wasn't he?" Kourin teased.

            "KOURIN!" Nuriko gasped, horrified.  His sister burst into uncontrollable giggles.

            "I'm kidding, I'm kidding...though...you _did_ mention something to that extent," Kourin reminded.

            "Only because he looked so much like a woman!" Nuriko insisted.  //But that's not it, is it?//  While Hotohori _had_ looked very womanly, with his long, dusky gray hair and his smooth pale skin and sparkling eyes, there was a defined masculinity to him.  The cut of his jaw, the curve of his shoulders, the tilt of his chin...all defined his masculinity.  All that added to the womanly beauty he had made him absolutely gorgeous.  Not that Nuriko was anything to sneer at either.  Nuriko was actually mistaken for a girl on many an occasion.  Long, flowing hair which was a strange but beautiful shade of pale purple, coupled with wide violet eyes, long thick eyelashes, and a smile that could turn anyone weak at the knees gave Nuriko a distinct beauty which was usually hard for males to pull off.  Pull it off Nuriko did...and with panache.  The two looks were distinctly different, however.  Nuriko's looks were more feminine than those of Hotohori.  //I'm not gay...am I?//

            "You know, it doesn't matter, Nuriko," Kourin said softly, her voice now serious.

            "Huh?" Nuriko turned to face his sister, surprised.

            "It doesn't matter what reason you like him for.  I'm just teasing you.  But if you did like him that way, it doesn't matter.  You have to follow your heart.  Who knows?  Maybe your dream is actually true.  Maybe these _are _memories of your past.  If you loved someone in a past life, it would only be natural for those feelings to resurface.  Then, you'd only be stupid if you didn't follow your heart in a situation like this."  Kourin smiled.  "Just follow your heart."

            Nuriko stared at his sister in surprise, and then smiled.  "Thanks, Dr. Freud.  No, seriously, thanks Kourin.  Not that it matters.  It's not true at all."  He leaned back against his pillow and closed his eyes, thinking back on the dream.

            "You don't know that!"

            "Mm hmm," Nuriko responded sleepily, already beginning to doze off.

            "I'm serious, Nuriko!  Listen!"  Kourin glared down at her older brother, who made no move to open his eyes.  "Okay then, fall asleep, but I'm going to continue talking.  A year ago, I had a dream.  I only had one, but it was so vivid that I remember it still as clearly as if it was yesterday.  I dreamt that you and I were brother and sister in ancient China, in the land of Konan.  We looked so much alike that people thought we were twins, and we even dressed alike to confuse them more.  Then, one day, I was running after you through the street, and I was run over by a carriage."

            A small, dark corner of Nuriko's mind suddenly jumped to life.  //Carriage?  Konan?  Why does this sound so familiar?//

            "You decided you would live life for me, and began dressing as a girl and calling yourself Kourin...then you were sent to be a member of the harem...the harem of the young emperor Hotohori."

            At his sister's words, Nuriko's eyes flew open, and he sat up abruptly, staring wordlessly at her.  She continued.

            "You were a celestial warrior, predestined to serve a girl who would come from another world to be-"

            "The Suzaku no miko," Nuriko whispered, finishing his sister's sentence.

            "Yes," she said softly, staring at him.  "You met up with six more celestial warriors...I don't remember any more than their names...I woke up long before I would have liked to.  In my dream, I watched you from above...almost like I was protecting you from heaven or something strange."  She laughed nervously.  "I don't know.  I just don't want you to rule out the possibility that this is real.  Don't give up on something as good as this.  Just...follow your heart."

            Nuriko pulled his sister into a close hug.  "I'm going to miss you when you leave tomorrow," he whispered.  "Why do you have to go to that stupid boarding school?"

            "Because it's one of the best in the world!" She laughed, hugging him back.  "It's only for a year!"

            "Oh, that's all?" he said sarcastically, but he released her.  "You better go back to bed, squirt.  I love you,"

            Kourin slid off the bed.  "I'm not a squirt!"

            Nuriko swatted her butt.  "Are too!"  His action elicited a shriek from his sister, who hastened to the door.  "Hey, Kourin!"

            She turned to face him.  "Yes?"

            "Thanks for listening to me.  And for telling me about your dream."  He smiled.  "Thanks for the encouragement."

            She smiled back.  "No problem.  I love you too."  She left the room as quickly and quietly as she had entered.

            Nuriko shook his head, grinning.  //That girl's insane.//  For the third time, he collapsed against his pillow, hoping to finally get some rest,  half-hoping for no rest at all, since that rest would only come if the sparkling-eyed emperor stopped haunting his dreams.  "Follow my heart, eh?"  //I'll try, Kourin.  I'll try.//

~TBC~  


	2. Something's Coming

CHAPTER 2

**A/N:**  Okay, in this chapter, I'm going to try and put in all the other Suzaku Seven, work into it what they've been doing since their new lives in Japan started.  So it'll delve more into Nuriko, but also talk about the others…or most of them.  Don't hold your breath for Chichiri; he won't be here for another chapter or so.

**Dedications:  **Marcy.  For telling me the Japanese word for "I love you."  Aishitaimasu, Marcy!  (Whoops…that's the really strong form, huh?  Oh well.  I stick by it.  I just hope Carrieann doesn't try to kill meeee……lol.)  

**Important Stuff:**  Aishitaimasu = I love you.  Muchos thanks to Marcy for telling me that!  ^_________^

~*~

            "All finished?"

            "Yes, nurse.  Send in the next patient please.  Who is he?"

            "A 14 year old boy...he has a sore throat...I think we may need to do a strep test."

            "Very well.  Send him in."  The nurse left the room, closing the door behind her.  The doctor, a tall, muscled man with dark hair and deep eyes, stepped into his office momentarily.  Rifling the papers, he sighed.  //That dream again last night...will I ever find them?//  The dream ran through his head again.  The screams of a girl...long blonde hair and blue eyes shining into his, tear filled.  //Please...save Miaka.  Kill me...if I die, the monster dies with me and all the people in town are saved.  Please do it!  Kill me...Mitsukake!//

            The sound of the door opening interrupted Mitsukake's thoughts.  //Shoka...it seems so real.//  Shaking his head, he pulled on a clean pair of gloves and walked into the other room, taking the papers the nurse offered.  "Now, what seems to be problem here, young..."  He paused, scanning the paper for his patient's name.  "...Chiriko."  //Chiriko?!//  His head snapped up, wide eyes connecting with a pair very similar in expression, but wider and younger.  "Chiriko!"

            "Mitsukake!"  The young boy he had known so many years ago sat before him, bare feet dangling off the side of the bench, shocked eyes soon crinkling up into the adorable smile of so many years before.  "Now how in Suzaku's name you end up here?!" Mitsukake questioned, slipping into older times in the midst of the situation, once again invoking the old god.

            "Suzaku..." Chiriko repeated happily.  "So it truly wasn't all a dream.  I had wondered...as to your question, I have no idea.  I guess I finally hit my growth spurt, or something like that."

            "It doesn't matter.  I'm just..." Mitsukake was at a loss for words.  "I'm just so happy to find you again!"  Forgoing all pretenses of playing the roles of doctor and patient, he pulled Chiriko into a tight hug.

            "I'm happy to see you too, Mitsukake.  I was so lonely without all of my friends of the Suzaku Seven," Chiriko said softly, thinking of all the years, all the lives he had gone through alone.  "Of course, I was never truly alone in any of those lives...it's just...the bond we of the Suzaku Seven hold is a very strong bond...a bond set into place by the Fates.  With that bond lacking..."

            Mitsukake held the boy at arms length, staring seriously into his eyes.  "I understand."  There was a pause, and Mitsukake turned back to his clipboard.  "Now, how about we take a look at that sore throat of yours?"

~*~

            "Hotohori?"

            "Yes, father?"  The eighteen year old stood at attention as his father addressed him, turning away from the mirror he had been looking into, making sure he looked picture-perfect before heading out to school.

            "I'm counting on you to try your hardest.  I know it's difficult...switching to a new school.  But my name is very well known, and I'd like you to set a good example."

            "Yes, father."  Hotohori smiled.  His father was a famous government official; saying his name was very well known was a bit of an understatement.

            "Not that I know why I'm telling you this," his father continued.  "You always _do_ set a good example.  Don't need to be told."  He smiled fondly at his son.  "Have a good day, son."  He tousled Hotohori's hair.

            "DaaaaAAD!"  Hotohori whined, rushing back to the mirror.  "I just got this looking right!"  Whipping out a comb, he began frantically fixing his hair.

            His father laughed.  "Hurry up with your grooming, Fabio.  You're going to be late for your first day."  Turning, he left for work.

            Scowling good-naturedly, Hotohori tucked one last hair into place and examined himself.  Satisfied, he blew himself a kiss before grabbing his book satchel and hurrying out to his car.  //_I hope this first day goes well...I hope there are some nice kids there..._// Tilting the mirror to better see the cars behind him (and his own glorious profile), Hotohori revved the car and pulled out of the driveway, heading off to school.

~*~

            "Why do I have to go _here_?!"

            The petit redheaded woman sighed in exasperation.  "Well, you don't give us much _choice_, Tasuki!  If you didn't get in so many fights, we wouldn't have to keep transferring you!  Parents complain when you beat up their children more than once...it gets a little trying.  There was no way you could have stayed in the last school...fighting half of the boys in school was bad _enough_...did you _really_ have to go after the principle's son himself?!"

            Tasuki snickered; his mother swatted the back of his head.  "Ow!" 

            "You deserved it!  I mean it, Tasuki!  I'm sick of transferring you to different schools!  This is it!  If you get kicked out again, you're paying for school _yourself_!"

            "Alright, _alright_, I get the picture!" 

            "Good..." his mother smiled fondly at him.  Leaning over, she gave him a peck on the cheek. 

            "_Yeack_!" he protested, trying to pretend he didn't like the sign of affection, but truly he lapped it up.

            "Yuck yourself!" she responded merrily.  "Now scoot!  Get your rear in gear!  I have to take you to school in fifteen minutes!"

~*~

            "Nuriko!  Get UP!"

            Nuriko grumbled into his pillow.  //_I don't want to face another new school...another new day...I wanna go back to bed and dream about Hotohori and the others..._//

            "Nuriko, I MEAN IT!"  His mother, now standing next to his bed, yanked the covers off.  Nuriko huddled into a ball immediately, not liking the cool air without the protection of his quilt.

            "Maaa!"

            "Don't "Maaa" me!  You're going to be late!"  She tugged on his long violet hair.  "Get up now or I'll cut off your hair."

            In a flash, Nuriko was up and out of bed.  "I'm up, I'm UP!"  He raced past her, clutching his waist-length purple hair close, pausing only to stick his tongue out at her playfully before dashing into the bathroom to shower.

            Fifty minutes later, Nuriko deigned to show himself in the kitchen.  Dressed in his school uniform, the collar unbuttoned in what was clearly supposed to be a jaunty, self-confidant way, his long violet hair braided loosely and tossed casually over one shoulder, he breezed into the kitchen and sat easily down in his chair.  "Mornin' dad, mom, Kourin."  He looked up at his family, who was staring at him, parents in exasperation and sister looking as though she was suppressing a major fit of giggles.  "Whaaaaat?!"

            "We have ten minutes to get you to school, which is at _least_ fifteen minutes away!" his mother cried, thoroughly rankled.  "From now on, you're getting up at five, Nuriko!"

            "_FIVE_?!"

            "You're never ready on time!  You take too long of a shower!"

            "It takes a long time to wash all this hair!" Nuriko exclaimed.

            "Then maybe we _should_ cut it off!" his mother shot back.

            Nuriko rose out of his chair, palms flat on the table and fire in his eyes.  "Over my dead body!"

            "Don't tempt me, young man!"  Shoving a piece of toast in her son's mouth, she grabbed him by the ear and dragged him out of the chair.  "You're not going to be late your first day of school!  Come on, Kourin.  We'll take you to the airport directly after dropping your brother off at school."  Pausing only to grab Nuriko's satchel and thrust it into his hands, she dragged him out to the car.

            "Everyone in?" Nuriko's father questioned, looking back at his children in the rearview mirror.  "Alright then.  We're off."

            Nuriko stared out the window at the house, thinking longingly of the bed he'd like to be in at that moment when he felt a smaller hand slide it's way into his.  Looking to his left, he saw Kourin smile reassuringly at him.  

            The ride was way too short for Nuriko's liking.  Sliding out of the car, he stared in dread at the building hundreds of other students were pouring into as the bell rang, all of them wearing the same uniform as him.  He thought wistfully of the "past life" he remembered, the comfortable clothing he wore...then colored at the remembrance that in those dreams, he dressed as a girl half of the time.  

            "Nuriko?"

            Turning, Nuriko saw Kourin holding his satchel out to him.  Disregarding the bag, he pulled his sister into his arms, hugging her tight and willing the burning tears not to fall, to go back where they came from.  "I'm going to miss you...Kourin."

            She was crying too, but hiding it well.  "It'll be okay, Nuriko.  Don't worry.  You'll charm them all...you always do."  Pulling reluctantly away, she waved goodbye, refusing to let the tears fall, trying to be strong for him.  Always for him.  "Goodbye, Nuriko."  Getting into the car, Kourin closed the door behind her.  Nuriko watched as the car drove off, and Kourin looked back, one hand pressed against the window in a farewell wave, both of them watching until the other grew too small to see.  Nuriko watched his sister smile sadly, watched her lips move slowly so that he could read the words she spoke silently.  "Aishitaimasu."

//_ Aishitaimasu, Kourin.  Aishitaimasu.//_

~TBC~


End file.
